The roof of Exeter Cathedral Chapter House
Back to Time Period![The roof of Exeter Cathedral Chapter House](/includes/thumb/phpThumb.php?src=/images/objects/2_7_17.jpg&w=500)
The Cathedral’s early 13th-century Chapter House suffered a major fire in 1413; its upper parts and roof were all rebuilt in the 15th century. This seems to have been a long process; the glass was added in c. 1460-80, whilst the roof bears the coat of arms of Bishop Booth (1465-78).
The roof is of oak. It is low-pitched, with tie beams (large horizontal timbers) supported on arch-bracing. The slopes of the roof are divided into square panels, each painted in imitation of the fan vaults used in contemporary stone vaults.
Acknowledgments: Exeter City Museums